Alex Herrera had a double-double in the first half, Rasmus Bach and Cade Kloster heated up in the second, and the Fort Lewis College men’s basketball team cruised to an easy victory.
Herrera, FLC’s star center from Ignacio, finished with 24 points and 14 rebounds after posting 14 points and 11 boards in the first half. He helped the Skyhawks to a 42-33 halftime lead, and his teammates helped put away an 88-62 win in Silver City, New Mexico.
“We shot the ball well and rebounded it great. When you get those two things on the road, it’s a win,” FLC associate head coach Bob Pietrack said.
FLC (16-5, 11-4 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) shot 55.9 percent from the field and made 11-of-24 attempts from behind the 3-point line. Kloster scored 18 points and dished out five assists, and Bach added 12 points and seven rebounds.
“When we get balanced scoring like that, we’re a really good team,” Pietrack said. “Ras and Cade were big for us in that second half.”
The Mustangs (2-18, 2-14 RMAC) were led by 15 points from Steven Loucks. Adams Kesler and Terrez Scott added 13 each, and Branton Tanter scored 12 points.
FLC outrebounded the Mustangs 40-22, including a 23-13 differential in the first half.
Western N.M. tried to make a run out of halftime, but the Skyhawks quickly silenced the Mustangs’ momentum and went back up 56-45 with 13 minutes, 26 seconds to play. The Mustangs never got closer.
“They made some tough shots in the first half and didn’t get the same bounces the second. Our defense made it hard on them,” Pietrack said.
The win gave FLC a season sweep of the Mustangs, as the Skyhawks beat them 86-70 at home Jan. 10. FLC will stay on the road to face New Mexico Highlands at 7 p.m. Saturday in Las Vegas, New Mexico. FLC already owns a 83-76 win against the Cowboys in a game in which Herrera earned a technical foul and was forced to sit the final 8 minutes of action.
“We respect Highlands, and we know it is going to be a tough game. All the road games are difficult in this conference,” Pietrack said.
jlivingston@ durangoherald.com
